A Marauders story
by CSMichaelis
Summary: "Maybe you should see Pomfrey about this Pads, it could be-" James paused and allowed a grin to form on his face. The ill boy shook his head. "Serious, yeah, I know." He said crossing his arms. My first hp story in a while no flames and I own nothing
1. Chapter 1

The sun was sinking below the horizon when James Potter made his way to the shrieking shack. The marauders he waited impatiently underneath his invisibility cloak.

He knew Remus would be there soon, He hoped that his friend would understand. Normally the group would meet for the full moon transformation and keep"Moony" company but tonight was different. Peter landed himself in detention and Sirius was in bed with a stomach ache and a fever. James was sure it was Nothing serious 'but it was more than enough to cause concern when Sirius told them he was going to stay in bed that day.

"Maybe you should see Madam Pomfrey if you're that ill." James had suggested the day before. Sirius smiled faintly.

"I'll be alright,takes more than a little pain to stop me, you should know that by now."

"Then why didn't you get up, you let it stop you, that means it's not just a little pain, by your own words."Remus had added.

"I'll be there, don't worry about it." Sirius responded.

"dunno mate, you're a bit pale." Sirius sighed.

"James,I'm always pale,it's not uncommon for my family history."

"No, I mean more than usual, I didn't think it was possible but it's noticeable." Sirius had dismissed the idea of going to the hospital wing. James knew Sirius wouldn't be joining them this time, the second he woke to find his best friend awake and in obvious pain.

"You're never up this early in the morning pads, what's -" Sirius scoffed.

"Up early, who said I slept?" Sirius had replied.

"Your stomach pain kept you up?" James climbed out of his own bed and stood next to his friend. He reached out to feel his forehead only to have Sirius push his hand away.

"I'm fine." He said.

Yeah, you look like it." James shook his head. "Go to Pomfrey, you need some-"

"I need to rest, that's all." The ill boy insisted.

James heard Remus enter and hid behind a chair.

"Thank you Madam Pomfrey." Remus said politely and the nurse bid him goodnight before leaving him. After waiting several minutes, James stood and made his way to Remus.

"Moony, I'm afraid I have some bad news, I-"

"Sirius won't be joining us?" James shook his head.

"I wasn't expecting him to. He's been ill, I'd rather he get some rest. I just hope he feels better soon, it's odd to see him lie down so much, he's usually so lively."

"He'll be fine and back to his old ways in no time, it's padfoot, he'll be up and driving everyone mad probably the day after next."

"I hope so. For now, you had better transform, it's almost time." Remus said as the moon rose high above the shack, James changed quickly. He hated this part. It was always painful, not just for Remus but for him as well.


	2. Chapter 2

James rushed into the hospital wing the following morning after receiving information from Lily Evens who was waiting for him in the common room when he arrived.

"Potter, I don't know where you've been but I-"

"You're actually speaking to me, well this is a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Shut it and listen, this is important. I need to tell you that Sirius was taken to the hospital wing. He-" James' eyes widened.

"Wha-"

"Madame Pomfrey said he's going to be transferred to the hospital."

"What happened?" James began to panic.

"At some point during the night, Peter went to get McGonagall, Sirius was in so much pain and he could hardly move. I don't know anything more than that." He thanked her and ran from the room.

He now found himself entering the hospital wing. He instantly heard Remus' voice talking to Sirius who lay in the bed beside him.

"Are you feeling better Sirius?" The young werewolf asked. Sirius appeared to be dazed.

"I don't feel anything right now, I have so much pain relief potion, I don't know if I'll ever feel again." Remus shook his head.

"You must have gotten the really good one."

"It feels like it." Sirius replied, James made his way to the beds. He noticed something was missing.

"Where's wormtail?" He asked.

"Let's think about it, the two main places he would be is either wherever we are, or eating...I don't see him in here so by process of elimination...i would have to say he's shoveling food in his face."

"Padfoot, that's not very nice." Remus scolded. Sirius turned his head to look at him.

"Where the hell did you get the idea I'm nice?" James couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, we are friends and you did accept me."

"But that doesn't mean I'm nice. It just means that -" Sirius stopped and seeemed confused.

"Go on mate, what's it mean then?"James encouraged.

"What's what mean?" Remus and James shook their heads.

"Pomfrey definitely gave him the good one."

"Mr. Potter, a word please?" The nurse asked suddenly from behind them. James turned to face her.

"as you can clearly see, is ill, we're planning to move him to the hospital shortly, I need some information about his condition if you can. When did he mention the pain and do you know where it was when it started?" James thought for a moment before answering.

"I can't be sure exactly, I think it's been close to two days, it started in the middle of his stomach if I remember right. Will he be okay?"

"thank you for your help , I'll contact the healer with this information." She said deliberately ignoring the question.

"Madam Pomfrey, is Sirius -"

"I'll keep you informed of his condition and progress as I get it. He needs rest, don't tire him out." She warned before giving Remus a potion and walking back to her office.

James looked back to his friends, his concern was returning.

"Sirius." He called softly noticing that the boy had closed his eyes. He received no answer.

"Sirius." He called again, this time Sirius opened his eyes.

"Promise me something."

"No, I'm not going to get Evens to-"

"I'm serious."

"Liar." The ill boy teased.

"I mean it, promise me, on our bond as best friends, I'm not going to lose you."

"Promise. It's probably nothing." James could tell the pain potion was wearing off.

"I'll hold you to it."

"I know you will."

"So if you end up-"

"I'll promise you something else, if I die, you'll never have to talk to me again, is that what you want?"

"Not funny." James glared.

"Lighten up, it's just a stomach ache."

"If it's just that, you would be better now."

"I'll be back before you know it."

" , we're moving him now and you need to get to class."

"I can't just leave like this."

"Remus is here, I'll be fine. "Sirius reassured him.

"But if they move you he won't -"

"It's alright.I'm not a small child." James argued for several minutes before being kicked out of the hospital wing. He ran back to the dorms to get his invisibility cloak and followed the healers outside.

"It sounds like appendicitis. " he heard Madame Pomfrey say to the male healer.

"From what you've told me, I'd say it's already ruptured and needs taken care of before the infection spreads. I'll keep you updated on the condition as well as Dumbledore. He will need to inform the boy's parents."

"Yes, he's speaking to the father now." James watched as Sirius was taken from view, he reentered the castle and was met by Peter as the shorter boy came out of the great Hall.

"What is it?" Peter asked.

"We'll have to manage without Sirius for a while, they've just taken him, but we'll be updated about what's going on." He answered.

"I knew he was ill but I didn't know it was- what's wrong with him does anyone know?"

"Appendix ruptured."

"But that's-" Peter began, James silenced him.

"We better get to class Wormtail, McGonagall will give us a month of detention if we're late again." James began to talk down the hall.

"When's that mattered prongs?"

"Detention's no fun without Padfoot, come on." The boys said no more.


	3. Chapter 3

Sirius opened his eyes slowly, the pain in his stomach was returning quickly and it felt as if his entire body was shaking. He felt weak and tired as he glanced around the room he was surrounded by white walls and machines that he had never seen before. He attempted to push the white blanket off only to have a pair of hands come into view and prevent the action.

"Good evening Sirius, I realize that this must be terribly uncomfortable for you but I must ask you to lie still." Dumbledore said softly.

"I'm -"

"You're quite ill Sirius, in order for you to recover, you need to rest. You have quite a road to travel to regain your health." Sirius didn't seem to understand what was being said. Dumbledore picked up a cloth from the bedside table and dipped it in a bowl of cool water,then squeezed out the excess liquid before placing it on his student's head.

Sirius tried to push it away only to find that he had something in his arm. Startled, he tried to remove it before Dumbledore stopped him.

"You need to remain calm Sirius. That little tube is giving you medication and nutrition while your stomach rests and heals."

"I-it's doing what?"Sirius asked weakly.

"Giving you everything you need to be well. I'm sorry Sirius, you were so ill that we couldn't risk apparating with you, it would only cause more pain for you and this was the closest hospital we could get you to." Sirius closed his eyes.

"Am I dying, it kind of feels like I'm -"

"Preferably not. Mr. Potter, Mr. Lupin and Mr. Pettigrew would be greatly upset by that wouldn't you say so?"

"James and Remus might not like it but Peter would be fine as long as the food holds out. Did anyone tell you what's wrong with me?"

"Yes, your appendix ruptured which led to peritonitis. That is the reason you feel so I'm afraid." Sirius sighed heavily.

"You're stable, but it's not something that should be taken lightly."

Sirius closed his eyes and moaned softly, a strong wave of nausea hit him.

"The good news is," Dumbledore continued. "that you only have one appendix and so you will not have that particular problem again. You must rest, I contacted your parents."

"they must be upset, it'll be terrible news for them to find out I'm alive." Sirius said.

" Your brother seemed concerned for you from what Professor McGonagall tells me." Sirius opened one eye.

"Regulus doesn't get concerned when it comes to me, I'm sure you're mistaking his -"

"I doubt that Sirius, regardless of the difference in opinions, the fact remains you are his brother."

"Not according to my parents."

"Sirius, he still -"

"Professor, I'm really tired, I think I just want to sleep for a while."

"Of course, I'll see you again tomorrow, I will be sure to inform your friends that you are awake."

"Thank you." Sirius closed his eyes again, Regulus didn't care,he never did,why should he now just because the doctors said he had an illness that could end his life? He drifted off not giving it a second thought.

"Do you think Padfoot's okay?" Peter whispered as Professor Mcgonagall stood before the class.

"Course he is it's Padfoot, there's no way he he won't be." James replied.

"Yeah but he was so -"

"He's fine, he'll be back before you know it. Takes more than that to stop Sirius you should know that by now." The boys sat silently for a majority of the class with James and Remus focusing on their friend.

"Now remember, your homework is to- Professor Dumbledore, what brings you here?"

"Please excuse the interruption, I was hoping I could borrow Mr. Potter, and ." He said softly.

"Certainly, boys, you are excused." The Marauders gathered their books and followed the old man in silence for most of the journey to his office.

"I don't know that I like the look on his face." Peter whispered. " think it's bad?"

"We're about to find out, whether we like the answer or not." Remus replied as they entered the room, James felt his heart drop as he and his friends were asked to sit down. It was the first time James Potter believed that everything he held dear could be altered forever.


	4. Chapter 4

"He's okay though isn't he?" James asked hopefully.

"He's stable, but feeling quite ill, it will take several weeks for him to recover, though I can't give you an exact timeline."

"He's coming back this year isn't he?" Remus placed a hand on James' shoulder.

"It's difficult to say, but if you want my guess, he will not be returning to class until September." Dumbledore replied.

"Come on, it's Sirius, he couldn't possibly be feeling that bad."

"Mr. Potter, it's not always easy to face the truth when it comes to our loved one's health, but the truth remains that he could very well have died. I would advise you to be grateful rather than dwelling on the difficult nature of the situation."

"You're sending him straight home from the hospital then?" Remus asked, a look of concern on his face.

"I think it's important that he is given the proper amount of time to rest and the right environment while he heals."

"I'm just curious, but since none of what you said describes Sirius's home or family from what I understand...where would we get all that?"Dumbledore smiled faintly.

"I have a place in mind.I assure you. For the moment, I believe you have classes, I'm going to excuse you from my office and ask that you finish out your day. If anything changes, I'll pass along the information."

"Hang on, you can't just dismiss us and expect everything to be fine, if he's that ill-"

"Come on James, we have potions to be getting to. Thank you for letting us know about Sirius." Remus said grabbing James' arm and pulling from the room. Peter followed close behind.

"Awfully quiet tonight Peter." Remus commented.

"Just concerned about Sirius. I know Dumbledore says he's stable an all that,but I hate to think about him lying there like that."

"We may not see him again until start of next term. That's a long way away." James added.

"Yes, but like you said in the office, he's Sirius. He'll be back. He really was ill, think of how much better he'll be he just needs some rest and things will be back to normal before we know it.

Sirius listened to the steady beeps from his monitor, he wanted to sleep. With the returning pain and nausea, it seemed impossible. He moaned quietly and dad his best to ignore the discomfort. He tried to shift into a more comfortable spot only to realize that he wasn't strong enough and the movement caused him to gasp in pain.

"You shouldn't do that, you just had stomach surgery,you could really hurt yourself." Sirius turned his head to the voice.

A young woman dressed in a nurse's uniform stepped into the room and approached Sirius's bed.

"I just want to check up on you, take your temperature and if you want it I'll give you some more pain medication." She said smiling cheerfully, Sirius remained silent, he couldn't put his finger on it, but something about the nurse irritated him.

"I'll start with your temperature, open your mouth and put it under your tongue." She held out the thermometer,Sirius just laid still.

"Come on, Sirius is it, just open up and we can-" It was then that her realized what was causing his aggregation.

"Are you always so cheerfully?"He asked weakly.

"Of course." She replied in her chipper voice causing Sirius to sigh and comply with her instructions,he hoped to be rid of her quickly. When the thermometer was removed, Sirius watched her write down the information.

"So, how do you feel, are you feeling any pain?" She asked.

'No, having surgery, having a ruptured appendix is not painful at all, in fact, nearly dying was was an absolute pleasure to experience, perhaps you should try it one day.' Sirius thought mildly amused by his own sarcasm.

"Yes. I also feel as if I'll be ill, is there anything you could possibly give me to help?"

"I'll talk to the doctor for you. Right now, I've been given the go ahead for pain medication. I'll just grab it and be right back, is there anything I can get for you?"

"No." Sirius said, he felt relieved to know she would soon leave. Sirius closed his eyes and pushed the blanket to the side, he knew that his fever hadn't changed.

He found himself thinking of his friends, what were they doing in his absence, were they alright?

He knew James would be less than happy when Dumbledore told him the news. He missed them. The hospital room was filled with beeps from his monitors and sometimes his IV. Those noises made him miss the dorm at Hogwarts, Peter would be snoring, James would be making jokes and then there would be Remus, sitting quietly on his bed reading and shaking his head at them with occasional whisper of Honestly ' escaping him. He wanted so much to be at school,his weakness and pain to be gone. He winced at another sharp pain in his belly. He would only have to wait a few minutes,but it felt like eternity.

The figure walked briskly through the hall, his footsteps echoing in the silence.

He hastily entered Dumbledore's office and made his way to the desk where the old man was waiting

."what this Albus?" He asked angrily.

"Ah, Orion, you got my owl, I needed to speak to you in person about Sirius, please sit down, we have much to discuss."


	5. Chapter 5

"What's this about Dumbledore, I have other things to do today." Orion said "What about the boy?"

"I thought you would like to know that in light of Sirius's illness, it was recommended that he have a proper rest and cannot be expected to finish out this school year. As his father, I believe you should be made aware of that."

"Was it all that bad, truly?" Orion growled, crossing his arms over his chest. Dumbledore folded his hands on his desk.

"I'm afraid it was rather severe. His appendix ruptured before we were able to get him to a hospital for treatment, as a result the infection began spilling into his abdomen and other parts of his system from there." Orion bowed his head.

"And now, what is his condition?" The man asked without looking at the headmaster.

"Stable. It could change and hopefully it would be for the better. "

"I see, so then there is no problem and you've asked me here for what reason, this is nothing you couldn't write in your letter."

"You wouldn't want your wife receiving the information before you had the chance to cope with it yourself would you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come now Orion, you and I both know better. You hide your true feelings but in this instance, I think it's best if you let down the shield and follow your own heart. No one can fault you for loving your son." Orion raised his head quickly shooting an angry glare at the old man.

"That's the most ridiculous -"

"Is it Orion, why else did you inquire about his condition, why then if he is nothing to you, do you seem upset by this?"

"Would you not be upset about being pulled into the school for someone who has betrayed his family?"

"Was it Sirius who did the betraying Orion, that cannot be what you truly believe." Orion sighed, his expression softening slightly.

"Sirius is in truth, a strong boy. From the day he was born, I had a feeling, he would be the one to break free of the family. He's proving me to be right in every possible way. I don't know what to do with that boy. His mother is furious and I cannot promise he would be given proper rest and care if he were to be sent home. I am not always there to distract her. Do you have something in mind?"

"currently, I know of two places willing to take Sirius in until he fully recovers, I need your permission to allow these steps to be taken."Orion thought for a moment.

"Do as you wish, anything would be better for him, but do keep an eye on Sirius, he's not one to tolerate being stuck in one place too long. Even when he's ill it can be a struggle."

"That will be taken into account. Also he will remain in the hospital for a bit longer, I must ask you, I'm sure you are aware that he has-"

"You want permission to take the disgraceful group he calls friends to see him, take them, but you keep them under control. Sirius needs rest and I doubt he would get much if they were left with him too long. If that's all, I need to return to work." Orion turned to leave but stopped in the doorway.

"If Regulus asks, and I'm certain he will if he hasn't already, take him to see his brother will you?"

"Of course." With a short nod, Orion left. As he made his way down the hall, he pulled out the letter and scanned it. He knew the name of the hospital was there somewhere. He would have to hurry, his lunch hour was nearly over.

Regulus stared at the blackboard and attempted to listen to Slughorn's lesson but found himself unable to focus. His Mother would not have approved of what was concerning him, this he knew and at the present moment, he didn't much care about her thoughts, his brother was ill. It had always been Sirius who had been beside him when he needed it. Sirius had been his protector when they were small, even when it was against their mother. In particular when the younger boy broke a priceless vase which had been in the family for generations.

 _Regulus stood in the hall, staring down in shock at the shattered vase on the floor. Sirius stood beside him, it was obvious that he wasn't phased by the loss._

" _Mother's going to kill me brother, that's it." Regulus whimpered._

" _No she won't but we'd better get it cleaned up before she sees, maybe we can get Uncle-" The boys stopped and listened as the front door opened and their mother stepped in. Panic set in as Regulus frantically gathered the pieces. Sirius put a hand on his shoulder._

" _Give those to me, then I want you to run upstairs to your room." He said taking it from his younger brother._

" _But Sirius, Mother-"_

" _Go, she hates me anyway. No sense in both of us getting it is there?"_

" _But you didn't do it, you weren't even out here."_

" _You don't want to be around when she's in a rage and this one's likely to be bad."_

" _Maybe it can be fixed if we just-" Walburga's voice was coming closer._

" _Go. I'm used to it. It's fine." Regulus' fear of his mother got the best of him and he followed his brother's instructions. He rushed up the stairs and into his room where he closed his door and laid down on his bed. He could hear his mother shrieking and screaming at Sirius. Spells were shouted and he could feel tears forming in his eyes as he listened. In these moments, he hated his mother. Sirius, it seemed was the only one he had to count on in this world and he hoped that one day, he would make his brother proud and gain enough courage to repay the many times Sirius had looked after him._

"Regulus my boy, are you alright?" Professor Slughorn's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Actually, I-I'm not feeling very well. Could I be excused from the lesson?"

"Of course, you do look a bit paler than usual, perhaps you should consider a visit to the hospital wing." Regulus nodded.

"Yes, I will. Thank you sir." He grabbed his books and exited the classroom, he quickly made his way down the hall toward the headmaster's office.


End file.
